"Harvest time over Glynde" Painting the South Downs of Glynde and Beddingham

Views from Beddingham hill, East Sussex

As the Summer comes to a close the fields of the South Downs turn golden with crops  ready to harvest. My walk this time took me up Beddingham hill just south west of Lewes. The top of the hill was awash with wild flowers and grasses that seemed to dance in the breeze.
Looking north the view over the Sussex Weald  was stunning, with the village of Glynde nestled in the middle surrounded by the colourful patchwork harvest fields.
 It was just the view that I wanted to paint.....
                                     "Harvest time over Glynde"
                                  Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18"

 

Painting the view over the village of Glynde from Beddingham hill.

It reminded me of the commission work that I undertook earlier in the year for a lady in Cheshire. I don't often take on commissions but the subjects were so similar to my style that I couldn't resist....

Acrylic painting commissions "Cloud View" and "Upton Fold Farm"

"Under the Arches" Painting the cafe and Smoked Fish shop on Brighton seafront

Brighton seafront, Sussex

One of the things that I like about Brighton is the abundance of Victorian architecture . It's so flamboyant and colourful !
On a recent trip I spent some time just west of the pier, here the Fisherman's museum is situated under one of the Victorian arches of Kings Road. It's an interesting spot with  fishing boats and fresh seafood for sale as you can see in the photo above.
Next to the museum is the Smoked Fish shop and cafe where I decided to stop for lunch.
Sitting on the wall outside I was kept amused by the mischievous antics of a seagull.

He would take a few steps into the fish shop, look either way then quickly run out again. He kept this up for about ten minutes until he eventually realized that he wasn't going to be able to steal anything. The seagulls must be a real nuisance to them but it was very comical to watch.
The fish shop is adorned with a variety of signs and boards just like the cafe next to it. They're both a little quirky in appearance and blend it perfectly with their Victorian surroundings.
Originally I was going to paint them separately but because of the sloping path above them it meant that the dimensions would not work well. So I am painting them on a canvas 24"x 12" ....
There's quite a bit of detail to cover and although progress is slow it's very enjoyable to paint.
Work in progress......

                               "Under the Arches"

 Painting in the main parts of the composition

 

Today was spent making a start on the shadows and signs

Painted a little bit here, there and everywhere. It's slow work but it's now starting to come together.

....and finally after an awful lot of painting, it is all finished ....

"Under the Arches" Painting of the cafe and Smoked Fish shop on Brighton seafront

Close up view

Wall view

                                   

"Seaside Seagulls" Painting Brighton pier and seagulls

Brighton pier, Sussex

 The Summer is starting to fade away, the evenings are getting darker and the wonderful sunny days are getting less. This however does not mean I'm ready to leave it behind.... I will have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the Autumn !
 I am so very reluctant to leave the Summer colours and sunshine that have inspired me over the past few months. So much so that for now I shall continue with my very own extended Summer!
My latest painting came about after watching the seagulls on Brighton beach. They get some very bad press but most of their misbehaving is brought about by people feeding them.
Their antics can be very amusing and love them or hate them Brighton just wouldn't be the same without them!
                                   "Seaside Seagulls"
                                     Acrylic on canvas 20"x 16"

"Seaside Seagulls" Acrylic painting on canvas

"Lollipops and lace" Summer ice cream painting and Firle Vintage air

The Vintage Fair at Firle Place, Sussex

I have been hoping for another good seaside trip but the best sunshine days seem to only fall at the weekends. I don't like crowded places so the weekends are no good to me.
We did however spend a lovely day at the Vintage Fair that is held at Firle Place in East Sussex.
Firle place is a splendid house, nestled at the foot of the South Downs with stunning views over the Sussex Weald.

Firle Place, East Sussex

It was a glorious Summer's day and the grounds were filled with traditional fair ground rides, vintage cars and a large selection of stalls selling various retro themed items. The cider tent also seemed to be very popular !
It was a very English  "strawberries and cream" sort of day.
For several months now I have wanted to find a colourful ice cream van to paint and add to my Summertime collection, but the only one that I really liked was a van called Vintage Scoops
 that I had seen in Lewes town a few times. Unfortunately it was parked in the shade  which wasn't ideal as the colours didn't look their best.  Imagine my delight when I spotted it at the fair!
I love the creative and fun thinking that they have put together and I'm going to love painting it even more.....
Work in progress.....
                                           " Lollipops and Lace"
                                                 Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18"
 It's taken a couple of days to get the composition sketched out as there will be quite a bit of detail involved. I need to build up areas of opaque colour first to give me a base to work on...

Starting to paint the ice cream van

I've spent several hours today on the inside of the van. There's quite a lot of flags and bits and pieces that need painting then putting into the shade before I can progress onto the outside. A large area of the windows have writing on so I need to make sure the paint has dried right out before I can continue.

Starting to paint the inside of the van

I have been working on some of the detail which puts more colour into the composition. The embroidered table cloth now needs the shading added ...

Adding a bit more detail to the composition

I have spent today painting bits and pieces all over the place! I made a couple of small alterations, there wasn't really anything wrong but there was a few things that were niggling me.
The van is beginning to shape up a bit more now and adding some of the shadows has given it more depth. I'm happy with it so far.
I have a busy Bank Holiday weekend ahead so I shall continue painting on Monday.  :)

Adding the shading to the painting starts to give it more depth

I'm back after spending a lovely weekend with my children and grandchildren, luckily the weather stayed dry and we even saw a bit of sunshine! Today I'm back home and it's raining once again!  Oh well, a good excuse to get on with the painting.  It's been another day of painting a bit here and a bit there but I'm happy with the progress and expect to have it finished in a couple of days...

Good progress being made on the painting

It's been an interesting and fun composition to paint and the ladies from Vintage Scoops love it :) ...

                                               "Lollipops and Lace"
                                                      Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18"

Painting of the Vintage Scoops ice cream van

 

Summer sun and seaside holiday fun !

Life's been really busy lately. I have been very fortunate and sold rather a lot of paintings, the man in the post office now greets me with "another one? " ....ha ha!
I have just completed a commission and about to start another one so I decided to have a painting break for a week and catch up on some other bits and pieces .
Now with all the little jobs done and not quite so hectic days I can have a bit of Summer fun !
I'm planning another beach trip soon, I love the colours and madness of the British seaside and want to make the most of it ! There's also the wonderful traditions such as fish 'n' chips, ice cream, sticks of rock, carousel rides, Helter Skelter and of course.....Punch and Judy !
I couldn't resist  painting the children waiting for the puppet show to start.
 The puppet tent took a lot of work so I was delighted that it sold within minutes of me putting it up for sale :)

                                            "Waiting for the Punch line" (Sold)

"Waiting for the Punch line" Acrylic on canvas

One of the wonderful things about the seaside, is that no matter how old you are, there is nothing quite like soaking up the Summer sunshine and just watching the World go by.....

                                  "Golden days and Silver surf"
                                Acrylic on canvas 20"x 16"

"Golden days and Silver surf" A fun colourful beach painting

 

"Down to Cricketing Bottom" Telscombe/Southease

  Southease to Telscombe, Sussex

I put a lot of thought into where my walks will take me. Good clear sunny days are quite  rare and I need to make sure I get as many good photos as possible so that I can keep painting on the rainy days too.
I thought this time that I would follow a circular route from the village of Southease.
The first mile was along the banks of the river Ouse , a nice flat walk before heading uphill  through banks of wild flowers.

Southease, Sussex

Skirting around the edge of Peacehaven  the views west towards Beddingham were delightful and a perfect spot for a quick break and to make sure I wasn't getting sun burnt!

Approaching the edge of Peacehaven.

 Next I headed off towards the village of Telscombe, a pretty little village nestled among the South Downs, just a short walk from the sea. Here splashes of bright red poppies lit up the fields and a vast array of wild flowers lined my pathway . (Another story for another day) .
Then it was all down hill...thank goodness! It wasn't a long walk, perhaps 4-5 miles , but climbing steep hills in the Summer heat can be hard work!
There ahead of me was my next painting...
a gleaming chalk track heading into a valley called "Cricketing Bottom"  A fabulous view greeted me looking towards Mount Caburn and the Sussex Weald whilst the fields were filled with an assortment of wild flowers and butterflies.
 The perfect spot for lunch and inspiration before heading off along the valley back towards Southease
 
                                   "Down to Cricketing Bottom"
 

Painting of the South Downs at Southease, Sussex. Acrylic on canvas

 

Summer and "A Birds Eye View"

Well life has been rather hectic lately, all in a good way though.
I'm delighted to have made lots of sales, to the point where it feels like I'm at the post office as much as I am at home! Ha ha!
I have been busy this week working on a commission which I can't divulge at the moment other than it is a lovely landscape .
Then, on the best sunshine days I have been out and about exploring more places with my camera.  I am working on a South Downs landscape at the moment , a wonderful composition of distant views and wild flowers .....watch this space!

Of course it wouldn't be Summer without a trip to Brighton beach. I decided to go and do some "people watching" , the beach is always such a wonderful mix of people, kids playing, oldies snoozing, boisterous teenagers and pretty girls sunbathing.
They're talking about culling the seagulls at Brighton,  but to be honest the problems are caused by the people that feed them for their own entertainment . Just a small piece of bread thrown into the air causes a chaos of squawking and feathers that delight some and terrify others!
So, anyway, as I said, July has been hectic and I thought it was time for a bit of Summer fun .
 Going back to the pretty girls sunbathing, oblivious to anything other than the overwhelming heat of the sun and the desire to sun tan as much body area as possible.
They lie on the beach with no interest of what is going on around them, not even the cheeky feathered squawking seagulls that fly and swoop above .............
                                                          "Birds Eye View"
                                                           Acrylic on canvas 24"x 12"

"Birds Eye View" A little bit of Summer painting fun!

 

"Bed, Breakfast and Boats" Painting the scene at East Worthing beach

East Worthing, West Sussex

Part of the reason for my recent trip to Worthing (West Sussex) was to explore the area east of the pier.
 Here you will find  typical seaside bed and breakfast houses all wonderfully painted in different candy colours, like chunks of seaside rock.
They overlook the beach, scattered with fishing boats  and where the fishermen  sell their daily catch.
The whole scene really captures the feel of  the British coast and a wonderful subject to paint.
It won't be the easiest picture that I have ever painted as there is so much detail , the more I look the more I see ! But I think it will be one of my favourites and probably the most complex composition of the Summer.
So...I had better get painting!
Work in progress  ....
" Bed, Breakfast and Boats", Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18"x 0.5"
I have so far spent about 5 days painting, each part needs 3-4 layers of paint before I can start overlaying with different tones, shading and highlights...it's a long process so I tend to flit around the canvas on different bits to allow other areas to dry.

Painting the beach at Worthing, West Sussex

 Once the paint has thoroughly dried I can start to add some of the finer detail...

Work in progress "Bed, Breakfast and Boats"

Good progress and the painting is starting to come to life :) ...

Finally, after an awful lot of painting I have completed the picture. It's been a bit of a labour of love at times but I've enjoyed every moment ...

                                           "Bed, Breakfast and Boats" (Worthing)

"Bed, Breakfast and Boats" acrylic painting of the beach at Worthing, West sussex

 

Seaside and Heatwave

Heading out to the beach

For the past few weeks I have been planning a trip to Worthing in West Sussex.
 I have spent many hours researching the coastal resorts for the best places to visit to take some reference photos for painting. I wanted a typical British seaside with blue skies and sunshine ....not such an easy task to achieve in this country!
Worthing appeared to have all that I required....pier....boats....sea....sand....deckchairs....etc.
I just needed the weather....and then.....wow! A heatwave! Blue skies and sunshine!
It has coincided with Graham having a week off from work which meant my explorations would be much better with him there.
I'm happy exploring on my own but there are times that it would be so much nicer to have some company...to share a moment....to make memories .
Mmmm company.....now there lies a dilemma....
Yes, it would be good to have the company and I have to admit there are times when I get bored of my own, but it's not that easy as I don't really know many people and they would have to fit in with my criteria .....
1: No speeding ahead....the scenery changes with every step and I need to keep stopping and checking out the view in every direction....you never know when the perfect view/ composition will suddenly appear.
2: No mobile phones.....you may as well stay at home!
3: No constant talking....It's a distraction! Look around....take in the scenery....embrace...enjoy!
Other than that all are welcome....ha ha!
Anyway....back to Worthing. As it happens yesterday gave us the most perfect weather. There was not one single cloud in the sky and the sea was beautiful!

Add caption

 I was delighted to find so many different subjects to paint and easily managed to stock up with reference photos . A wonderful mixture of specific scenes of the location and an assortment that will contribute to a selection of more generic subjects that I can combine and use to play with ideas.

Worthing , West Sussex

As it was such a glorious day we headed on to South Lancing to check out the beach huts, they wern't at their best but it gave them a bit more charm in a strange sort of way....weathered....used...and loved...

Beach huts at Lancing beach

After a brief visit we moved on to Shoreham harbour, it's an area that combines industry with history and a rather pretty beach where clumps of wild flowers grow among the pebbles...

Shoreham beach and harbour

So....there's a peek of my day out....my explorations....my inspirations.....!
 There will be several paintings on the horizon as a result from our wonderful visit.
 Firstly I wanted to capture the general feel and ambiance of the day....so...here we go...
Work in progress...." High tide and Heatwave"
                                      My first day has been spent painting in the composition and filling in the larger areas. I have also started work on the pebbles as it can be quite time consuming.

Work in progress, "High tide and heatwave" Acrylic on canvas

Today I have concentrated on the deck chairs, lots of wonderful Summer colours! It will take a couple of days to complete them as the wooden frames are all different shades and require several coats of paint to achieve the desired result....

Painting in the deck chairs

I was up this morning with the sun rise! Far too early, but it's a habit I can't get out of . Once I'm awake I find it impossible to just lie in bed . The result was a 6am early painting session !
It did however turn out to my advantage as it turned into another very hot day, so much so that the paint was drying on my brush before I could paint with it! By noon I had to admit defeat but I'm happy with the day's progress......

Seagull and shadows now add to the painting

Another early painting session this morning means the painting is now all finished...

                                    High tide and Heatwave"
                              Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18"

"High tide and Heatwave" Acrylic painting of deck chairs on the beach

"Buttercups and Brooks" (Rodmell and Lewes, East Sussex)

Lewes Brooks

In the middle of the South Downs on the south side of Lewes is a flood plain where the River Ouse takes it's last journey before reaching the sea at Newhaven.

The River Ouse and Mount Caburn in the background

The area is made up of fields and drainage brooks and is a haven for wild birds.

To the west the picturesque villages of Iford, Rodmell and Southease are nestled at the base of the Downs with their chocolate box houses and narrow country lanes.

Iford and Rodmell

 I left Rodmell and walked along a chalk track heading towards the river, June brings the fields alive with a multitude of golden buttercups set off by the vertical reeds and grasses that line the brooks.
It looked so pretty in the sunshine!  Looking back at the village all you could see were a few roof tops and a glimpse of the church. A lovely composition to paint.

                                          "Buttercups and Brooks"
                                            Acrylic on box canvas 12"x 16"x 1.5"

"Buttercups and Brooks" Acrylic painting of Rodmell and Lewes brooks

 On my last visit to this area I painted Southease as seen from Itford Hill....
"Summer over Southease"
                                            

"Gulls and Groynes"

Cliffs and beach at Seaford in East Sussex

On my recent trip to Seaford I spent a while watching the seagulls on the cliffs and beach. I could spend hours watching them swoop and soar over the waves, even if they are rather noisy at times!
 It always amuses me the way that they each sit on top of the groyne posts as if they were put there specifically for them !

Seagulls on the groynes

 With the sunshine on the water and the gentle splashing and crashing of the waves it was picture perfect!
                                         "Gulls and Groynes"
                                 Acrylic on canvas 20"x 16" 

"Gulls and Groynes" Acrylic painting on canvas

....and further up the beach "Beach huts and boats"